It wasn’t a moment that anyone expected to see on “The Story with Martha MacCallum.” Fox News “The Five” co-host Jessica Tarlov lit into her conservative colleagues over their outrage at Texas Democrats who fled the state to block a gerrymandering vote in a special session of the state legislature — pointing out they had nothing to say when Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson pulled a similar stunt in Washington last month.
Tarlov pushed back hard on Aug. 5 against conservative commentators who’ve stormed the airwaves this week, calling Democrats lawless and cowardly for leaving town and denying quorum in Texas, with the Texas governor and attorney general calling for the lawmakers to be hunted down.
“I also heard no complaints when Mike Johnson decided to abdicate his job to say actually Congress isn’t in session anymore because I don’t want to have to vote on turning over the Epstein files,” Tarlov said. “He said let’s go home rather than talk about the fact that Donald Trump may or may not have been in there. So, be equal opportunity in your complaints about fleeing your job. At least they’re doing this for a good reason.”
Co-host Dana Perino appeared stunned — the analysis had left her speechless.
The comparison also hit a nerve on social media.
“Imagine a Democrat shut down Congress to hide files on a child sex trafficker,” someone observed on X. “Fox News would melt into a puddle of holy outrage. But Mike Johnson does it and it’s crickets.”
Last month, Speaker Johnson abruptly ended the House’s legislative session on July 23, one day ahead of the previously scheduled start of the weeks-long summer recess, just as Democrats prepared to force procedural votes calling for the release of sealed Epstein files. The move, widely viewed as an effort to avoid fracturing Republican unity or crossing President Trump, was slammed as a duck-and-cover tactic.
“We’re done being lectured on transparency,” Johnson said at his final news conference before the early recess, bristling at accusations that Republicans were covering for the wealthy and well-connected. Still, the decision effectively shelved action on Epstein-related votes — and several other key bills — until at least September.
And as Tarlov reminded her fellow Fox panelists, you can’t cry foul on one while turning a blind eye to the other.
In a long-winded response to the drama on X, one critic unloaded on Republicans for playing dodgeball.
As the Epstein scandal continues to unfold, critics said it was becoming painfully clear that tactics were being used to block accountability, with the drama now reaching both Texas and Capitol Hill.
“You go off on Democrats abandoning their posts, yet Speaker Mike Johnson literally killed the House session early to dodge a vote on releasing Epstein files. He shut the calendar down, blocked the vote, and sent everyone home a day early. All while preaching ‘transparency.’ That’s the guy folding the playbook to avoid oversight,” he wrote.
“If you’re calling out lawmakers for skipping out on work… fine. But be equal opportunity: Johnson vacated his duties on purpose to prevent scrutiny. Then he had the gall to publicly demand full disclosure—right before pulling the plug. That’s classic weasel behavior.
“So yeah complain about people fleeing their jobs? You’re preaching to the choir. And Johnson’s abdication to dodge Epstein accountability is just as bad. Don’t cherry pick. If being equal‑opportunity angry is your standard, then call it how it is: he shirked. He blocked. He bailed. And we shouldn’t treat that like nobility it’s cowardice.”
Tarlov’s fire came amid Democratic outrage over the redistricting effort that could gift Republicans up to five additional House seats. The plan, backed by Trump, has been slammed as racially discriminatory and politically extreme — especially since redistricting typically follows the U.S. Census, which isn’t due for another five years.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wasted no time retaliating. He ordered the state’s Department of Public Safety to “locate, arrest, and return” the absconding lawmakers, even though state police have no power to enforce such orders beyond Texas lines. He also slapped them with daily $500 fines and floated disqualification from office — moves that raised eyebrows nationwide.
“By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief,” Abbott said. “There are consequences for dereliction of duty.”
But critics say Abbott’s outrage rang hollow in light of Johnson’s decision to shut down Congress early just to avoid a politically messy vote on Epstein. The parallels were impossible to ignore.
“If it can happen in Texas, the second-largest state in the country, it will happen elsewhere,” warned Texas state Sen. Carol Alvarado, who addressed the issue during a national gathering of Democratic lawmakers in Massachusetts. “If we do not stop it now, they’ll copy and paste it across the country.”
Ever since the gerrymandering issue surfaced in Texas, governors in Democratic states have vowed to fight fire with fire, with California, New York, and Maryland threatening to redraw their maps in response.
Meanwhile, Ken Paxton, the Republican Texas attorney general and Abbott’s longtime ally, issued an ultimatum, warning, “Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office… If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.”
Just a day earlier, he took to X to echo inflammatory rhetoric, painting Democrats as lawless and unprincipled — a familiar tactic aimed at criminalizing opposition while rallying Trump’s base.
“Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately. We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law,” Paxton railed.
But Paxton’s remarks drew swift blowback, with social media critics digging up receipts that refused to let Paxton slide or suffer any memory loss.
One post in particular recalled a September 2022 incident when Paxton himself fled his home to avoid being served a subpoena in a case involving abortion rights. Paxton’s critic circulated a screenshot of the story with a biting caption, asking, “Wasn’t this you?”
Conservatives in the comments section ran to Paxton’s defense with claps like: “Never happened,” “Fake news,” and, “Even if he did do it, it’s not illegal to avoid a process server.”
Back when Johnson pulled the plug on the congressional session, Republicans scrapped plans to vote on several high-profile bills — including one targeting undocumented immigrants, another easing environmental rules, and a rollback of Biden-era regulations. All were casualties of internal GOP tensions over the Epstein matter.
“There’s just no upside to voting on this,” said Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, the lone Rules Committee Republican who supported allowing a floor debate on Epstein. “It’s just theater; it’s a waste of time.”
But Democrats weren’t letting the moment slip away.
“They do whatever Donald Trump tells them to do,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “Donald Trump has done a complete 180, and we’ve got to hold them to the fire. The public is interested. I think the public is on our side here.”
Johnson, meanwhile, has tried to strike a delicate balance — acknowledging that Epstein material should be released, while insisting Republicans “have been intellectually consistent the entire time” and should not “play political games with this.”
Not everyone in his caucus agrees. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky accused Johnson of burying the issue and vowed to pursue a discharge petition to force a vote in September. “He just told us in there to stick their heads in the sand about this Epstein thing,” Massie fumed.
Johnson’s defense? “Some here are much more frustrating than others,” the speaker said of Massie. “I don’t know how his mind works.”
In the meantime, pressure on House Republicans continues to mount. The Oversight Committee this week voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, currently serving a 20-year sentence. Additionally, the committee’s subpoenas included “all documents and communications relating or referring to” the DOJ investigation of Epstein and Maxwell, as well as requests for testimony from former officials such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, James Comey, Robert Mueller, and former Attorneys General Merrick Garland and Bill Barr.
And back in Texas, Democrats remain in self-imposed exile, bouncing from Massachusetts to Illinois. They say they won’t return until the legislative special session expires on Aug. 19.
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